Winter Bike to Work Day coming

The second annual Winter Bike to Work Day will be held on Jan. 20, from 7:30 to 9 a.m., GO Boulder recently announced. Winter Bike to Work Day will be celebrated with breakfast and hot chocolate stops at six locations and prizes for participants, all supplied by event sponsors. Last year, about 800 riders turned out for the event, and this year, organizers have set a goal for 1,000 riders.

The city of Boulder places a priority on keeping its trails and multi-use paths open throughout the year, even after significant snow storms. In fact, the city often clears 60 miles of paved multi-use paths and 76 underpasses as quickly as streets for bike commuters.

“The average high on Jan. 20 is 44 degrees, and the low averages 19 degrees. People would be surprised how rewarding, safe and comfortable winter riding is once you get going,” said Sue Prant, event director.

Breakfast and refreshment stations will be located at Applebee’s, at 1906 28th St.; the City Municipal Building, at 1777 Broadway; Moe’s Broadway Bagel, at 3705 Arapahoe Ave. and 2650 Broadway; Pedal to Properties, at 1949 Pearl St.; and the University of Colorado, at 18th Street and Colorado Avenue.

Registration for Winter Bike to Work Day begins Jan. 4 at www.GOBoulder. net.

Museum re-opens bank exhibit

WOW! (World of Wonder) Children’s Museum in Lafayette will celebrate the grand re-opening of its Elevations Credit Union exhibit at 11 a.m. on Jan. 5. In addition to checking out the new look of the exhibit, visitors will have the opportunity to meet Rags (the Rags to Riches mascot), go home with special giveaways, and open a Rags to Riches account for children ages 12 and younger.

“It’s never too early to teach kids about financial matters,” says Dennis Paul, assistant vice president of community and business development at Elevations Credit Union. “The WOW! Children’s Museum is an incredible community resource.”

“WOW! Children’s Museum is very grateful and appreciative of Elevations Credit Union’s continued support, as well as their interest in educating young children about money and financial responsibility,” says WOW! Children’s Museum Executive Director Lisa Atallah.

Founded in 1996, WOW! Children’s Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that offers educational and interactive exhibits for children — bringing families together in a safe environment that sparks imagination, inspires learning and nurtures growth through play.

Compost your Christmas tree

Boulder residents who have curbside compost collection service can compost their Christmas trees by putting the tree either inside or next to their curbside compost cart on their collection day. If the tree is taller than six feet, it needs to be cut down to six-foot (or smaller) pieces. Remove all decorations and tinsel from the tree before putting it out for collection. Those who do not have curbside compost collection can take trees to the city’s Yard Waste Drop-off site, located at Western Disposal, 5880 Butte Mill Rd., at no charge. The former brickyard location, east of the main Western Disposal entrance, is under new ownership and no longer available for Christmas tree drop-off.

Trees will be chipped into mulch or turned into compost instead of dumped in a landfill and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.

For more information, visit www.westerndisposal.com.

NREL unveils climate site for campuses

The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Boulder and Cornell University have launched a website to help campus-based institutions develop clean energy and carbon-reduction strategies.

The website, Climate Neutral Research Campuses, is available at www. nrel.gov/applying_technologies/climate_ neutral.

Drawing on NREL’s experience, as well as the best practices at other research campuses, the site provides campuses with a process to establish a baseline carbon inventory and develop and implement their own climate action plans. The core of the site is a resource center that describes 24 specific climate action options. For each action, the site provides a leading example of the related technology and reference links. It also offers guidance on selecting the right technology options for an individual campus. The site was developed with Randy Lacey, Cornell’s university engineer, who worked for three months with sustainability experts at NREL. NREL developed the site with support from Labs21 — a joint venture of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Be aware of falling trees

The U.S. Forest Service is urging forest visitors to be aware of falling, dead trees and other hazards during this winter season, because the mountain pine beetle epidemic increases the risk of falling trees.

“The beetle epidemic has resulted in millions of acres of
dead trees. Dead trees appear red or have no needles. They are also
known as hazard trees because they can, and do, fall without warning,”
said Steve Sherwood, director of recreation for the Rocky Mountain
region of the Forest Service. “We have had several close calls, and our
highest priority is for folks to be safe while enjoying their public
lands.”

Tips for
avoiding danger include never recreating alone and always letting
someone know where you are going and when you plan to return.
Occasional closures may occur as the Forest Service clears hazard
trees. Check with the local Forest Service district office, carry a map
and plan an open and safe route.

For
general information about the mountain pine beetle epidemic, see www.
fs.fed.us/r2/bark-beetle. Land management agencies have developed a
site devoted to the bark beetle happenings on the Front Range at www.frontrangepinebeetle.org.

CU launches sustainability certificate

To meet the demand for
professional development for sustainability coordinators and
consultants, the Sustainable Practices Program at the University of
Colorado’s Division of Continuing Education and Professional Studies is
launching a new certificate in January. The sustainability management
certificate is expected to help professionals put a “green” edge on
their existing expertise.

The program is
hosting a free public panel discussion, “Defining Sustainability:
People, planet and profit?” on Jan. 14 at 5:30 p.m. in the Continuing
Education Building at 1505 University Ave. More information about the
sustainability program is available at http://conted.colorado.edu/sustainabilitymanagement.

Volunteers needed to shovel snow

RSVP of Boulder County,
a nonprofit that specializes in doing volunteer services for seniors
and disabled adults, has taken over the city of Boulder’s Icebusters
program this year. Icebusters matches volunteers with seniors or
disabled adults who need their walks shoveled each time it snows
significantly (five inches or more).

RSVP is overwhelmed
with the number of clients who need to be matched with volunteers.
Currently, almost 100 clients are on the waiting list, and RSVP is
actively seeking more volunteers. Some volunteers are reportedly taking
on three or four different assignments to help carry the weight of this
massive need.

If
you are interested in volunteering, please call RSVP Program Director
Richard Varnes at 303-443-1933 x408, or e-mail Program Coordinator
Logan Smith at logansmith@rsvpboulder.org. Go to www.RSVPBoulder.org for more information on the program.